12-year-old accused of joyriding in grandma's car to remain in custody, judge says

CONROE, Texas – The 12-year-old girl accused of leading Conroe police in a high speed chase will remain in juvenile custody for the next 10 days, according to a judge Tuesday afternoon in court.

Police said when a Conroe Police Department officer spotted the car June 30 in the 12000 block of West Davis around 5:30 p.m., the 12-year-old did not pull over, starting a 35- to 40-mile chase, with her 5-year-old sister in the front passenger seat.

Police said she took her grandmother's car for this joyride.

The 12-year-old's mother was present when she went before the judged. The child faces a charge of theft of a motor vehicle, but could face more charges as the case develops.

Channel 2 Investigates learned through a police source that the girl was trying to visit her boyfriend.

"The younger girl was terrified. Went right into the arms of our officer when it was over," Montgomery Police Chief Jim Napolitano said Friday.

KPRC 2 has obtained the dash cam video of the police pursuit. In the video, the girl drives on the wrong side of the road, the shoulder on the wrong side of the road and barely squeezes between two vehicles stopped in a lane of traffic on the other side.

During the chase, police said the kids hit two or three vehicles before finally pulling over at Montgomery High School. There were no injuries.

"The vehicle being pursued hit multiple vehicles along 105 resulting in minor damage and no injuries, thank goodness. The two juveniles were involved and no injuries at that point either," Jim Napolitano, Montgomery Police Department, said.

According to a witness who was driving on Highway 105 with three kids in the car, their vehicle was almost hit by the kids, knocking a mirror off the car. The witness then saw the granddaughter driving on the shoulder in the wrong direction of the highway. Police said the chase speeds reached close to 100 mph.

"The fastest that I saw was 126," J.D. Lambright, Montgomery County attorney, said after reviewing dashcam video.

The chase ended when police notified General Motor Co.'s OnStar call center and asked that the car a 2014 Chevy Cruz, be remotely shut down.

The car rolled to a stop near Montgomery High School.

Police said the 12-year-old was taken into custody and the 5-year-old was picked up by the grandmother.

The 12-year-old girl is charged with theft of property over $30,000. More charges are pending.

She's being held at the Montgomery County Juvenile Detention Center and will appear in court Tuesday.